"It makes me very uncomfortable to have the White House telling reporters, 'You're going to regret doing something that you believe in,'" Woodward said on CNN last night.

"I think they're confused," he added.

The emails look to be a bit more cordial. Woodward said Sperling lashed out at him during a 30-minute phone call after he published an piece saying President Barack Obama was "moving the goal posts" by requesting additional revenues on the sequester.

In the emails, Sperling apologizes for "raising his voice" on the call and writes that, "as a friend, I think you will regret staking out that claim."

In response, Woodward said that there was no need to ever apologize.

"You do not ever have to apologize to me," Woodward writes. "You get wound up because you are making your points and you believe them. This is all part of a serious discussion. I for one welcome a little heat; there should [be] more given the importance. I also welcome your personal advice. I am listening. I know you lived all this. My partial advantage is that I talked extensively with all involved."